Paul Bako | Catcher

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According to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer, catcher Paul Bako plans to decline an invitation to spring training from the Phillies.

Bako is seeking a major league backup catching gig and will test the open market. The 37-year-old backstop hit .224/.308/.336 in 2009 with three homers and nine RBI over 116 at-bats. Are the Mets all set? Fri, Dec 11, 2009 04:59:00 PM

Bako was inked to a minor league contract in the middle of May, shortly after he was released by the Cubs. He'll be third in line for playing tim in Philadelphia, behind Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste. Tue, Jun 9, 2009 02:05:00 PM

Phillies signed catcher Paul Bako to a minor league contract.

Bako will report to extended spring training in Clearwater for now and then likely take over as Lou Marson's backup in Triple-A. He hit .217/.299/.328 as the Reds' primary catcher last year. Mon, May 18, 2009 05:33:00 PM

Cubs released catcher Paul Bako.

The Cubs have opted for Koyie Hill's greater offensive potential over Bako's defensive reputation, even though it will cost them about $180,000 in termination pay. Bako may land a backup gig elsewhere in short order. The Orioles are familiar with him and still have a need. Mon, Mar 30, 2009 01:27:00 PM

The Cubs have opted for Koyie Hill's greater offensive potential over Bako's defensive reputation, even though it will cost them about $180,000 in termination pay. Bako may land a backup gig elsewhere in short order. The Orioles are familiar with him and still have a need.

Cubs signed catcher Paul Bako, who had been with the Reds, to a one-year, $725,000 contract.

This deal was done a month ago, but Bako had to wait for the Cubs to open a roster spot before it was made official. That happened with Wednesday's trade of Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno for Aaron Heilman. Bako will be the backup to Geovany Soto, pushing Koyie Hill back to Triple-A.

The Cubs have interest in bringing in Paul Bako as a non-roster player, according to The Daily Herald.

That probably won't happen. Bako figures to get a guaranteed contract after spending the bulk of last season as the Reds' top catcher. The Cubs would view him as a fallback in case they fail to re-sign Henry Blanco.

"We’re going to move on," Jocketty said. "In the case of Bako, we’re looking to improve the catching. (Ryan) Hanigan had a good year. We’re probably going to go younger." Jocketty added that his team does have mild interest in Josh Bard. Bako, who received far more playing time than expected after getting off to a hot start, ended up hitting .217/.299/.328 in 299 at-bats. It's actually an improvement over his career OPS, but it won't be his bat that gets him another job as a backup next year.

Paul Bako went 2-for-4 with two home runs as the Reds defeated the Marlins on Monday night.

His first career multi-homer game comes in the 693rd appearance of his career, and leaves him just 579 short of Ken Griffey Jr. He finished with five RBI, and now has four dingers on the season, which ties his career high.

Paul Bako went 0-for-3 on Sunday and has two hits in the last two weeks.

Bako was incredible during the first six weeks of the season, but he hasn't done anything since and it's doubtful that he'll reemerge with much value in NL-only leagues going forward. Dave Ross is the better bet of the two.

Paul Bako had a solo homer, an RBI single and a walk Saturday as the Reds outlasted the Giants 10-9.

Paul Bako? The veteran backstop has driven in a run in each of his last five starts, and is batting a cool .333 in 60 at-bats. The homer was his second, matching his total in 675 at-bats from 2003 through 2007. He’s currently besting his career OPS by about 300 points. The 35-year-old hasn’t hit better than .250 in a season since 1999 and he hasn’t driven in more than 20 runs since 1998, so there’s no reason at all to think this will keep up. Still, the Reds simply have to continue to play him until he slows down.

Reds signed catcher Paul Bako to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

It's pretty bad when you target Paul Bako and still come away empty-handed, as the Pirates just did. Bako, who hit .205/.277/.256 in 156 at-bats for Baltimore last season, will only make the Reds if they decide to carry three catchers.

Depth Charts

Chase Utley won't appear in any spring games this week due to lingering ankle soreness.

Utley suffered a mild right ankle sprain during a workout in January and the Phillies are easing him along in camp. The 36-year-old second baseman is not yet in danger of missing any regular-season action. He should only need around 40-50 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.

Cliff Lee (elbow) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Astros.

The 36-year-old southpaw came into camp a bit behind schedule but felt good after throwing live batting practice on Wednesday. As long as he makes it through the spring healthy and exhibits normal velocity, he'll make for a very popular rebound candidate in fantasy drafts.